2013 Academy Awards Red Carpet

The Oscars may trump the Golden Globes when it comes to prestige but this year they were the sartorial runner up thanks to the predominance of the informal two-button notch lapel tuxedo jacket. Even host Seth MacFarlane wore one, contrary to the publicity photo shown above.

Otherwise, red-carpet trends continued to be largely the same as recent Oscar ceremonies:

styling remained very conservative overall

bow ties still outnumbered long ties

shirts with undecorated fronts and turndown collars continued to be the norm

The Not-So-Great

The gaffes were they are the same as we’ve seen for a number of years now so there’s not much point in illustrating them all again. Quentin Tarantino was once again an unkempt mess, John Travolta was once again a black-on-black undertaker and George Clooney once gain proudly exposed his uncovered waist and sagging trousers. Also, a number of jackets were much too fitted to be flattering and/or had lapels that were comically narrow (Tom Hooper, Stephen Spielberg, Orlando Bloom) and a smattering of men were oblivious to the well-deserved extinction of the modern wing collar (Peter Facinelli, Josh Hartnett).

17 Comments

Totally agree. I kept asking myself, ‘what stylist is to blame for this weird trend of notch-lapels?’

Also I’m not sure if anyone else noticed, but host Seth switched jackets 3/4 of the way through the program. He went from a two-button notch lapel to a single button shawl lapel (with a cummerbund too!). I was happy to see the unexplained change.

Ben Affleck’s outfit was interesting but not for the right reasons. Did anyone else notice the bizarre shirt collar? It was like a turn-down/wing hybrid. His bowtie was also annoyingly loose-looking. Here’s a shot I found:

I agree that the loose, wide through the knot, bowtie look was a bit odd too. I’m not sure how I feel about it. It reminds me a bit of the Duke of Windsor’s style of bow tie – which had a very thick body to it.

I can’t say that I think Ryan Kwanten pulled off the look he was going for – unless it was a creased and pulling jacket and trouser combination.

Jon Hamm looks a little uncomfortable – perhaps his tight fitting suit is restricting his breathing? Does he have velvet collar facings on his dinner jacket? It is striking, certainly.

Jon Hamm, Bradley Cooper and Ben Affleck all wore waistcoats but – sadly – they all seemed to come too high, for me at least. Justin Thereaux got it right.

I have to give “Best” to Hugh Jackman. The double breasted, shawl collared dinner jacket is tailored so beautifully. I also agree with Peter, the ivory dinner jacket and velvet slippers are classy on Matt Morrison. Too bad the DJ is tailored too long in the sleves. He almost nailed the outfit. I also love the black studs in both the aforementioned outfits. They really complete the ensembles. I thought Jon Hamm’s outfit was overdone. The Velvet DJ collar and waistcoat seem to mix awkwardly.

Daniel Day Lewis and Hugh Jackman both made an immediate (positive) impression on me, though Jackman mostly because everyone else on stage during the Les Miz number looked like a nineteen year old in his fourteen year old brother’s suit.